Why your business should be blogging

You’ve heard of blogs, and you may have a few on your site already, but why are is blogging so important for your online success? Find out below!

Blogging. For some it may be second nature, but for others, it can leave you stumped. But for those not familiar with the term, we’ll shed some light on it for you. A blog is simply an online update posted on your site, like news or some topics of interest. However, we hear some of you ask, why would you need to constantly post updates on your website? And who reads them? If you’re a business owner, you may think blogging is not worth the time, as writing weekly posts can be both time consuming and frustrating. You’ve got a million and one other things you should be doing, and blogging is not a priority. But, it should be. And we’re going to convince you why you should be actively blogging.

We’ve teamed up with Revive.Digital, a business of leading digital marketers and web designers in Essex. We asked them why blogging is imperative for your online success. Whilst you may not think it’s worth the time, digital marketers around the world will get up off their seats to tell you why you are wrong. In fact, we feel so passionately about blogging, that we’ve created a blog post to tell you exactly why you should be blogging. We care that much about it. So, let’s dive in and find out why your business should be blogging.

History of blogging

Whilst blogging was not always around, it has been for the last 20 odd years. In the digital world, the general consensus is that the first blog was created back in 1994, by Justin Hall. Yes, Links.net, was the first blogging site on the internet. Whilst the term blog has gone through many changes, from weblog, it’s been a similar process since its creation, and that process is uploading entries or logs onto a website. It wasn’t until the mid-2000s that blogging really took off. If you don’t believe us wait for this next part… So, in 1999 it was estimated there were around 23 blogs on the entire internet. But, by the middle of 2006, there was an estimated 50 million blogs on the web.

Blogging has just become the done thing for any business online. Millions of people around the world read blogs, because of how accessible the internet has become in the last 15 years. You can find a blog on almost anything that piques your interest, whether it be men’s fashion of the 90s or a blog about website design, there’s a blog for everyone on the web.

‘Yes, millions of people read them, but why are they important for my business?’ Whilst a history lesson is nice, you came here to find out why your business should be blogging. We’ve got 7 reasons below as to why you should be blogging.

7 reasons to blog

The ‘done thing’

Our first reason is simply because everyone else is doing it. All your competitors, direct or not, will be actively blogging weekly. Whether they outsource or not, they’re still doing it. It’s about creating a presence online and becoming an authority in your industry. The likelihood is that if you’re a business owner, you’ve got enough experience and expertise in a given field that you were able to establish your own company. So, by that reckoning, other aspiring businesses and fellow workers in your industry, would be appreciative of your knowledge and expertise. You’re a leading expert in your field, so, spread some quality information about your industry. Create posts to help people better understand what you do. The value of blogging is immeasurable when it comes to your online presence.

It’s the future

With more and more people digesting the information online, blogging is set to be the future of how users consume news and information. With social media sites becoming a super power in the modern age, the power of online information is unmatched. Due to the accessibility of the internet, more and more people choose to find their news and information online, through social media and search engines. Blogs can be a place for both general news and industry related news. Sure, journalists will always have a place in the world of reporting, but blogging could become the way we consume all of our news and information. With micro blogging sites like Twitter, more and more news outlets are moving online and into content creation. Producing videos and blogs to spread information on the web. Users are looking at leading experts online for information, could you be one of those experts? You won’t be if you’re not blogging!

Creating content

Whilst we’re on the subject of content creation, it’s something that has been beneficial to every single online company and business. Producing regular content is a good thing, even if it’s a brief blog post or something you’ve been working on for a few days, posting it on your site is invaluable. To be a leading authority online, you need posts galore, so the more you can create the better you’ll look. Not only is creating content good for authoritative purposes, but it’s a way of interacting with your customers and clients. You can provide things like insider information, upcoming sales or a discount code exclusively available to those that scroll to the bottom of your blog. A blog can be used for so many things, so utilise them for the benefit of your business. Creating content online is great for branding and digital marketing work, like SEO, too.

Transparency

One of the problems that bigger companies are facing is a lack of trust with the general public. More and more users are losing their faith in the authority of bigger companies so how do you counter this? If you’re trying to spread information via a blog, how can you ensure that your reader base trust your authority on industry related topics? Well, by presenting yourself and your company as human. And that means some honesty. A blog can be your public face, where you can freely speak to your reader base about your successes and mistakes. Showing humility and personality brands your business as more relatable. So, use a blog to show off your personality, albeit it in a professional way. Have some fun with your blog, it will seem like less work if you enjoy doing it.

Productivity

We all have those days where our work seems like an impossible task, but how good does it feel when you have one thing done, and then everything seems to start flowing again? Well, what if your first completed task of the day could be a little blog post? Whilst blogging is great for your business online, it’s also a great way to get your creative juices flowing. Your blog doesn’t have to be long, nor does it have to be published, but working on and then finishing a first draft of your blog can be a great way to start your day. Give it a go, and you may find that what you produce could be the first draft of a great blog post. Your uninspired blog post might lead to a bright idea in another area of your business, so give it a go.

Creating leads

One aspect of blogging is that it’s a great marketing tool for businesses. It can be a great way of generating new leads or bringing in some new clients for your business. Let’s say you’re a digital marketing agency, and you create a blog post on the process of SEO. You could include information on why it’s useful for your business. For another business owner reading this, you’ve shed some light on the benefits of SEO but potentially created a new lead through your work. They may read everything and decide that your agency knows what they’re talking about, then enlists you as their digital marketing agency to work on SEO. Your couple hours of research and writing could generate a new lead bringing in some more money for your business. You never know who could be reading your blog, and who might find it useful.

Make money

Whilst we’re on the subject of making more money for your business, blogging is a great way to bring in some extra revenue for your business. If your website is good, and you have a high domain authority, you could take blog submissions on your site. Some marketers will pay to have their clients work featured on your site, with links built in, for SEO work. Many big sites, like Money Saving Expert, take relevant finance posts for a fee. It’s a huge platform which millions of people read each month. Whilst your website may not be as big as this, collaborations with the right people can bring in some more money for your business, so it’s worth looking into.

Solutions to problems

Whilst this list alone should be enough to sway you, there’s a lot of blogging sceptics that seem impossible to convince. But, have no fear. We have the answers to all of your frequently assumed problems, or FAPs if you like. If you’re PA (problem assumer), then prepare to have your problems solved…

“I have no time” – In short, you’re wrong. There’s always time for blogging. Whilst some business owners may think that making time for a blog will add to their list of to-dos and have to put off something, it actually increases the amount of work you do. By creating an inspiring blog, you may open an avenue to completing a separate task that you previously thought impossible. There’s always time to write a short blog, think about how many times you’ve written a rage email with 500+ words in under 10 minutes – it can be done.

“No, but seriously I really don’t have time” – Okay, if this is still you then let’s talk about some alternatives. You can always outsource your blog writing to a digital agency, content marketer, or a freelance writer. Whilst this may cost you, if your time is your most valuable currency than surely you won’t mind investing some cash into blogging, it really does wonders for your online business.

“But, I really don’t need blogging” – If you believe this you are truly wrong! Blogging is imperative for your online success. The more content you have on your site, the more credible you look. If you create authoritative posts on your blog, you could become a leading authority in your industry. You can bring in both money and more clients through your blog. Blogs make your site better for crawling by search engine robots, meaning you could achieve higher ranks on search engines like Google. Now, who’d moan about that?

“Alright, I’m convinced” – Good, then we’ve done our job…

If we’ve said it once, we’ll say it again. Blogging is essential for your online success. You can use it for interacting with customers, presenting your business, bringing in more money and as a way to help your rankings on search engines. It’s the ultimate key that you need to succeed. If you’re not blogging, or investing into it, then you should be. Give it a go! Start your business blog today.

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[…] Once you have developed a list of frequently asked question, it’s time to answer them. Consider starting a company blog (if you haven’t already). You should also set up a FAQs section on your site and start […]